Sealed Destination
by shattered teardrops
Summary: All along she was living a lie... Now, she learns of the truth from him... A truth about her real life... And the tainted past that they share, the same present they had to endure, and the future which they were forced to live together... [SasuSaku]
1. Chapter 1

"Living A Lie"

She sat hugging her knees tightly while sitting under a big tree and leaning on its trunk for support. The rustle of the wind and the coldness of the air gave an eerie effect to the surroundings, but, she dare not care. Her frail heart pounded on her chest like a hammer as tears slowly made their way down from her emerald eyes. Afterall these years, she had discovered that what she was living, was in fact, a lie.

The pink haired Chuunin felt shattered, decieved and most of all, betrayed. She had trusted them. Even calling them her family. But they betrayed her. They kept the truth from her. All her life, she was living a lie.

"Sakura..." A familiar voice called out to her. Slowly, a tall image made its presence known. The silver-haired Jounin sat beside her, also leaning on the trunk for support. "Uhm... I know it's been hard on your part to know the truth after many years. But I think, the time has finally come for you to know everything." Kakashi slowly explained, letting Sakura slowly digest every word he had said.

Suddenly, Sakura stood up and looked at him accusingly. Her emerald eyes seeing through his soul. "So! You also knew! You also knew, yet you kept everything from me! How could you, Kakashi-sensei! I trusted you!" Sakura shouted as fresh tears made their way down her cheeks. Her emerald eyes full of hate and contempt for the people she once called her family.

Kakashi stood up as well. He bowed down his head feeling guilt weigh down his chest. He didn't like seeing Sakura like this. She was full of rage, hate and contempt. Her soft hands balled into fists, ready to punch anything that would come her way.

"Sakura, please listen to me. What we did was what we thought the best for you. Things were complicated back then. We were worried for your safety." Kakashi mellowed down his tone, vainly explaining to her and pleading for her understanding, but Sakura remained angered.

"I don't want to listen to anymore of your lies!" With that, Sakura ran once again. She ran away from all of them. Trying to block out all the pain that she felt at the moment. Kakashi understood the pain that she was going through and rather chose to leave her alone for a while. He looked up at a tree, knowing full well that he would come after her. Trusting him that he would be able to bring Sakura back, just as she had brought him back to them.

After minutes of jumping from tree to tree in a fast pace, and deciding that she had made a good deal of distance from Kakashi, Sakura slowed down and slumped at the bank of a flowing river. Her eyes were still dense from the crying as she looked at her reflection on the water. She took off her hitai-ate which she wore as a headband and let her rose-colored locks fall free, letting them cover her face. Then, all of a sudden, she cried again. She tried to stop the tears from coming but it was useless. Her chest was filled with so much pain that had to let them loose through crying. She even admitted in herself that she looked pathetic and pitiful.

Because of too much crying, she wasn't able to detect his presence as he stood beside her. He didn't say anything. He just simply stood beside her, letting her know of his presence. "Sasuke-kun..." Sakura looked up to him and saw him looking at the running water. He didn't even look back at her. All of a sudden, Sakura managed a bitter sweet chuckle to escape her lips. "Yes, Sasuke-kun, I am weak, pathetic and pitiful! You see, I didn't even realized that I've been living a lie all my life! So, did you come here to tell me that you were right about me all along?" Sakura said rising up as she faced him.

"I could... but I won't." Sasuke said as he faced her with no whatsoever emotion from his face.

Sakura was a bit surprised by what he said simply looked down and slumped at the bank of the river once more. Tiny cherry blossom petals floated down the river as the water flowed. "Leave me alone..." Sakura said, but Sasuke didn't leave. He just stayed there. Simply standing.

"This is taking more of my time as what I have imagined." Sasuke said. Then in one swift motion, he hit a nerve point on Sakura's neck that made her unconscious. He caught her just in time before her head hit the ground and supported her weight as he sat close beside her.

He may not say it out loud but the Uchiha was worried for Sakura. As he looked closely at her face, he saw traces of dried tears on her skin. He took out a clean handkerchief from his pocket, dipped it lightly in the river and gently wiped her face. After making sure that she looked okay, Sasuke picked up her hitai-ate and began his journey back to town with her in his arms.

In Tsunade's Office...

"Kakashi, you know the risks involved when she knows the truth about herself! You were there! You saw clearly what had happened!" Tsunade was trying vainly to explain to Kakashi but it seemed that the Jounin had made up his mind. "I am the Fifth Hokage and as leader of this village, I order you not to tell her anything!" Tsunade ordered Kakashi but he refused to obey.

"I respect your rank as Hokage, Tsunade-sama, but as Sakura's former sensei, I will make this thing personal. She has to know!" Kakashi matched the intensity of Tsunade's voice with his, making their argument a very heated one.

"You know what could happen, Kakashi. Sealing her true bloodline and locking out her past memories has made her quite normal but that doesn't mean she's safe! The real reason I agreed to be her sensei was to guard her and make sure she's safe!" Tsunade spoke with such rage.

All of a sudden, Shizune barged in on the Hokage's office while panting. "Tsunade-sama, the Uchiha has brought Sakura back." Shizune announced. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, both Kakashi and Tsunade rushed to see how the pink-haired Chuunin was doing.

She was unconscious as Sasuke held her in his arms. "I wanted you to know that she's safe before I bring her home." Sasuke explained. He was well aware of the fact that both Kakashi and the Hokage herself were acting strange towards Sakura's sudden rage. He knew... everything.

"Wait... You're bringing her home? To the Haruno family?" Kakashi asked. "I think that's not a good idea." He added, and both Tsunade and Sasuke silently agreed. In the end, Kakashi and Sasuke had to wait for Tsunade's decision regarding Sakura.

"Very well. Uchiha Sasuke, I'm giving you a B- rank Mission. You have to let Sakura stay in your house until further instructions are made. You have to watch over her for a while and never let her out of your sight." Tsunade spoke seriously. Sasuke's brow rose up but nevertheless, he didn't argue further. If there was one person who sould watch over her, it should be him. Not that she mattered much to him, but, he knew of her past. And as painful as it may sound, they shared the same tainted past.

tbc

Preview of Chapter Two: "Her Own Tainted Past"

She looked up to see him, uttering one very familiar name. "Sasuke-kun..." She tried to wipe her tears away but it was too late. Again, he had seen her cry. And again, he had seen how weak she was. "I want to tell you something..." The Uchiha began. It was unlikely for the Uchiha to share something to her, so Sakura felt the need to listen. He slowly sat beside her and looked at a distance, as if trying to recollect past memories. "But before I begin telling you about it, you must promise me that you'll talk to Tsunade-sama." Sasuke looked at her, expecting for an answer and she couldn't help but give a nod.


	2. Chapter 2

"Her Own Tainted Past""

Sakura slowly opened her eyes and adjusted to the light before she sat upright from where she laid. She doesn't recognize the room. Slowly, she stood up from bed and tiptoed to the door. She could hear footsteps coming and prepared for an attacker as she stood in fighting stance. With a faint creak, the door opened and revealed no other than Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura was evidently surprised to see him. Sasuke walked silently towards the table at the side of the room and placed the tray of food he was carrying. "Uh, where am I?" Sakura asked as she looked at him bewilderedly.

"You're in my house. Eat." Sasuke said. Sakura looked over the tray and found a bowl of Beef Ramen. She threw a questioning glance at Sasuke who immediately gave her an answer. "You usually ordered that at the Ichiraku." Sakura was a bit surprised and flattered that the great Uchiha paid attention to what she was ordering at the Ichiraku but said nothing instead. Now was not the time to go swooning over Sasuke.

Sakura sat at the chair near the table and began eating the Beef Ramen. To her surprise, Sasuke merely watched her. Surely, he has lots of more important things to do like train than watch her eat, right? "Sasuke-kun, why am I here?" She paused from eating and asked Sasuke, expecting an answer.

"Tsunade-sama told me to let you stay here for a while." Sasuke gave her a straight answer. Even though she was expecting no less from him, she was still saddened by the fact that Sasuke was trying to bear with her just because the Hokage told him to. Sakura dropped the chopsticks down, without eating much of her ramen and stood up. "I'm done eating. I'm going now." She said coldly, trying to mask out the hurt.

Before she ever got out of the room, one strong hand gripped her right arm. She looked at him puzzledly and he slowly released her arm, but as soon as she was out of his house, he was still following her. Sakura wondered why and didn't hesitate to ask. "Did Tsunade also asked you to watch me and never let me get out of sight?" She asked sarcastically to which Sasuke replied a simple nod. Sakura felt enraged deep inside. "You don't have to follow me. I can take care of myself." She said then started running away. She was a few meters away from Sasuke when she suddenly bumped into someone. That someone turned out to be Kakashi.

Sakura froze in place as she watched with piercing gaze her once trusted sensei."Sakura... I need to talk to you..." Kakashi started. "I don't want to have anything to do with you!" Sakura declared and began running again. Away from them. Away from the conspiracy. Away from it all. With Sakura running ahead, Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "I know you're the only one she could turn to. Help her." Kakashi said. "It's not like I have any choice anyway." Sasuke answered and walked away, trying to follow Sakura.

The emerald-eyed, young chuunin ran to the forest for comfort. At least, in the forest, nobody would see her cry. Nobody would see her pain. That was what she thought. All along, as she was crying her heart out, one tormented soul watched her in silence. A soul who vowed to be an avenger as his dark mysterious eyes slowly turn to red. 'Whatever happens, she must know' The raven haired avenger thought. In one swift motion, he was down the tree and stood in front of her.

She looked up to see him, uttering one very familiar name. "Sasuke-kun..." She tried to wipe her tears away but it was too late. Again, he had seen her cry. And again, he had seen how weak she was. "I want to tell you something..." The Uchiha began. It was unlikely for the Uchiha to share something to her, so Sakura felt the need to listen. He slowly sat beside her and looked at a distance, as if trying to recollect past memories. "But before I begin telling you about it, you must promise me that you'll talk to Tsunade-sama." Sasuke looked at her, expecting for an answer and she couldn't help but give a nod.

"Nine years ago, my parents were killed in a bloody massacre..." Sasuke began. The young pink-haired chuunin found herself listening to what the Uchiha was telling her. It was afterall unusual for him to open up to someone about his tainted past. "My entire clan was killed by no other than my older brother, Uchiha Itachi... That was what everybody knew. But there was more to the story than what is told. Other than our clan, my older brother killed another family. The Fujitaka clan. One of the strongest clans who lived outside of Konoha yet consider themselves people of Konoha. Their compound was located in the forest just outside the village of Konoha. Just like what he did to our clan, Itachi killed the entire Fujitaka clan with only one little girl left behind. That little girl was lucky for she was playing in the forest when Itachi massacred her parents. That girl, Sakura... was you." Sasuke looked at her with utmost seriousness.

Sakura was shocked and surprised about what Sasuke told her. It took a few seconds for her to process that information inside her mind. By then, Sasuke was already up, extending a hand to her, offering to help her up. "Now, for your side of the bargain." Sasuke said. Sakura took his hand and stood up. Just as what Sasuke told her to, she needs to talk to Tsunade-sama or to Kakashi-sensei. She decided she wanted to talk to Tsunade sama. Hand in hand, Sasuke and Sakura made their way to the Hokage's office. Sasuke knew she needed his support now. Not that she mattered very much to him but because it was more of an obligation. Not only to the Hokage but also to his clan.

A Tsunade's Office...

Tsunade was surprised to see the pink-haired Chuunin inside her office together with the Uchiha but she knew that Sakura wanted to hear the truth. Slowly Tsunade rose up from her chair and turned to Sakura. She breathed deeply before speaking. "I assume you already know." Tsunade began as she stood in front of the pink-haired Chuunin. "Sasuke told me about it. But I still have questions that need answers." Sakura spoke straightly.

"Very well. What are your questions?" Tsunade relaxed a bit but was tense nonetheless. "Why did Itachi kill my family?" Sakura began asking as she looked at the Hokage, expecting an answer. "The Fujitaka clan was known to be a strong clan just like Uchihas and the Hyuugas. Itachi killed your clan because of the same reason as why he killed the Uchiha clan. He wanted to test his abilities."

"Then, why couldn't I remember any of my past memories? I couldn't even remember how my real parents looked like!" Sakura was more confused than ever and more questions sprung into her mind. "I have to answer that question." Kakashi appeared in a whirl of leaves. "In order to protect you, I sealed your past memories and your true blood line. Because even if Itachi had already killed your parents, we knew that he'd still go after you if he knew that you were alive."

Again, more questions popped into her mind. "But why? Why would he go after me?" Sakura asked, suddenly a little dizzy because of the things that were revealed to her. "I'm afraid that you have inherited the famous sharingan of your clan which only a few people from the Fujitaka clan inherits. From there, I think, it would be best of you talked with Sasuke. He could explain everything clearly than we do." Kakashi said.

Sakura turned to Sasuke expecting him to give her on straight answer but he merely looked away and started to leave the room. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura tried to hold him out but he simply walked away. So she turned to Tsunade-sama. "We have no right to give you such information. I'm afraid, only Sasuke has the right to tell you that." Tsunade said as she looked down.

"But I need to know!" Sakura tried to reason out. "We understand Sakura, but it is not ours to decide. It is Sasuke's. For now, we suggest that you make up with your family. Though you're not a real Haruno, they still treated you like their own. For that, you should be thankful." Kakashi said.

tbc

Preview of Chapter Three: "Cherished Memories"

Sasuke, with the picture at hand, went to the cabinet on his right. On top of the cabinet was a picture of Team Seven. He took the framed photo and compared it to the one on his other hand. He couldn't be mistaken. The similiarity could not be denied. The old photo from the envelope was like the younger version of the one on the framed photo. The Uchiha focused his gaze on the framed photo of Team Seven, on the face of a particular kunoichi. Memories slowly came flooding back.


	3. Chapter 3

"Cherished Memories"

A week after the revelations about her past, Sakura was back to the Haruno household. Though her parents were not really her real parents, Sakura learned to appreciate what they did. Afterall, they took her in when nobody wanted her. At least, through the Harunos, she has experienced the love of a real family. And for that, she was quite thankful.

The pink-haired Chuunin had just finished training with Shizune and had gone home to rest. Her body was a bit limp and tired from all those exercises she had to deal with, plus she was trying to master a new technique that Tsunade-sama wanted her to learn. She went straight to her room and took a hot shower to ease out all of her tired muscles. The water gave a calming effect to her tense body. After taking a shower, she changed into her ordinary clothes and went down for supper. After which, she went straight to bed.

For half an hour, she just simply tossed and turned atop her bed. She couldn't sleep. She looked at the ceiling and heaved out a sigh. So much has happened in the last few months. Then, slowly, her mind drifted off to a certain memory she would never forget... A memory which took place just six months ago...

_The first attempt to bring back the Uchiha prodigy fell in vain as Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji and Naruto were severely beaten. After two years since the first mission to bring the onyx-eyed Chuunin back to Konoha, again, Naruto and the others had insisted on the Godaime that they were ready to bring Sasuke back. For two years they have trained just to be able to prepare for this certain mission. They were again ready to face another dangerous mission that could end their lives. Once again, Shikamaru, Neji, Chouji, Kiba and Naruto were summoned on another S-rank mission to bring back the Uchiha prodigy._

_Unknown to them, on the day of their mission, a certain pink-haired Chuunin began going after them. She, of all people, wanted to bring the onyx-eyed avenger back. Part of the reason was that she wanted to punish him for endangering their friends' lives, but she wanted him back mainly because her heart ached for him. _

_Once again, all five Chuunins of Konoha were thrown into battle against the elite ninjas of Orochimaru. Among the others, only Neji, Naruto and Shikamaru were still standing with Shikamaru barely managing to stand up. They were all sent for an S-rank mission to bring Uchiha Sasuke back to Konoha. She was there, sitting in a corner while applying Chiyute no Jutsu to the heavily wounded Kiba. He was deeply wounded by the Uchiha on the chest and Sakura made it her job to heal the others. _

_The sound of the Chidori was loudly heard as the battle went on. Finally, only Naruto was left standing. Trying to use the Rasengan _(sorry, I don't know how to spell Naruto's attack)_ against Sasuke but Sasuke's cursed seal, courtesy of Orochimaru, began activating. Sasuke's entire body was soon filled with dark marks signaling the effect of the cursed seal. _

_Naruto was in grave danger. He was barely standing and Sasuke was about to deliver a fatal blow to him. He aimed the Chidori on Naruto's heart! Sasuke was intent on killing Naruto! She must do something! Quick! Before it's too late! Sasuke began running at a very fast rate, filling both his feet with chakra and ran towards Naruto. Blood was dripping on Naruto's arm but he was still trying to fight. In a split second, Sasuke had delivered the blow!_

_But... Naruto didn't receive the deadly blow of the Chidori. Sakura had intercepted it. Instead of the Chidori hitting Naruto's heart, it had brought damage to Sakura's right shoulder, breaking a fair amount of bones and fracturing Sakura's shoulder joint. Sasuke's eyes flew wide open at the sight of the bloody Sakura in front of him. "Sakura..." He spoke out her name. _

_Sakura breathed deeply, feeling the sharp pain on her right shoulder. She looked up at Sasuke and looked straight into his eyes. She extended her left hand and held his right arm, the one with the Chidori, while it was still connected to her right shoulder. "Sasuke-kun... come back..." She was teary-eyed as those words escaped her mouth._

_The Uchiha was speechless as he dropped his right hand down and looked at Sakura. He suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He tried to open his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Without another word, Sakura threw her left arm around his neck and embraced him tightly, burrying her tear-stricken face into his chest as she sobbed. _

_The raven-haired avenger closed his mouth and looked down. He lifted his right hand, the Chidori was no more, and held Sakura's head as she sobbed on his chest. The cursed seal slowly retreated back until the dark marks completely disappeared. "I'm... sorry..." The Uchiha managed to whisper. _

With those last thoughts inside her mind, the young kunoichi drifted off to sleep. Her whole body easing itself to rest, her mind drifting off to dreamland, and her heart, still belonging to someone who had unconsciously stolen it with his cold attitude and mysterious personality.

In the Uchiha Compound, inside Sasuke's room...

The young raven-haired avenger had gathered the documents of the Uchiha clan inside his room, trying to find a certain parchment which his father had kept. As he opened an unnamed envelope, a picture suddenly fell. Sasuke bent down and picked it up. As he looked into it, he was surprised. Looks like he had already found what he was looking for. He settled the picture aside and opened the envelope. Inside the envelope was a parchment, the one he's been looking for. He slowly spread it and began reading it's content. Just as what he had suspected. At the bottom of the parchment, two names had signed. The two heads of two clans who had both made an agreement with each other. Sasuke picked up the picture again and stared at it. He couldn't make a mistake. Everything had been planned out.

Sasuke, with the picture at hand, went to the cabinet on his right. On top of the cabinet was a picture of Team Seven. He took the framed photo and compared it to the one on his other hand. He couldn't be mistaken. The similiarity could not be denied. The old photo from the envelope was like the younger version of the one on the framed photo. The Uchiha focused his gaze on the framed photo of Team Seven, on the face of a particular kunoichi. Memories slowly came flooding back.

_"You... you're the most important person in my life... I know you feel lonely because of the death of your parents, but... if you go, I would feel just the same. Please don't go... Or if you're really leaving, let me come with you... Sasuke-kun... Without you, my life means nothing..." The pink-haired kunoichi pleaded with tears streaming down her face. "Sasuke-kun... I love you..." She confessed, but it looked like it didn't matter to him. _

_"You still haven't changed... You're still annoying..." The raven-haired avenger said in a matter-of-factly tone. He knew he wounded her heart but he disregarded whatever emotion he had. Emotions... only make you weak. If he wanted to be strong, he should control even his emotions. He should only feel hate and contempt. _

The raven-haired avenger closed his eyes and bit his lip. He was well aware that Sakura was hurt by that awful memory. It was painful, he admitted, but he couldn't also deny the fact that her words were one of the few things that kept him alive during his stay at Orochimaru's camp. After two years at Orochimaru's camp, he had decided to come back to Konoha. He may not have beaten his brother yet, but, there were some things that were as important as killing his brother. She was one of the reasons why he wanted to be strong. She... and the tainted past that they shared. If Itachi finds out that she's still alive, he would no doubt come after her. And the raven-haired avenger made it his mission to protect her. No matter what the cost.

tbc

a/n: chapter dedicated to all the Sasuke and Sakura fans out there...

Preview of next chapter: "B- Rank Missions"

A low cackle was heard within the dark trees as it laughed evily at them. "Oh, would you look at that... I caught two little mice..." The voice laughed out loud. "So, Konoha sent you two to beat me, eh? For your information, the entire border of the town of Ame is surrounded by my strings! What do they think of me? Simply child's play!" The voice began drawing nearer until they saw the ninja to whom the voice belonged. He was tall and slim with red fiery hair and stitches at the side of his round dark eyes. His face was menacing as he faced Sakura. Slowly, he walked towards her and held her chin with his hands. He chuckled softly. "A doll, I see... Maybe I could play with you... Hehehe..."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't Naruto... And I don't like repeating things like this...

"B- Rank Missions"

"TSUNADE-BAA-CHAN!" Naruto's lound shout was heard as he entered the Hokage's office with a loud banging of the door. The blond- haired ninja barged in through the Hokage's office without much warning but was easily recognized. Inside the office was the Hokage, with Shizune standing at her right and two other ninjas, standing in front of them, Neji Hyuuga and Ino Yamanaka.

"Huh? Hey, Tsunade-baa-chan, why did you call for me? Are you giving me another mission! Huh? Huh? Huh?" Naruto was as noisy and as nosy as ever, but the Hokage had learned to control her temper and ignore his rantings instead. She stood up from the chair that she was sitting on and went to face the three Chuunins who were inside her office.

"You three will be given a B-rank mission. You have to go to the Hidden Village of Jishin and you must retrieve the fire crystal which the village desperately needs. It was reported to have been stolen by a group of ninja bandits who were rumored to be members of the Akatsuki. Further details about the mission is found here, in this scroll. Any more questions?" Tsunade clearly explained.

"When are we leaving?" Neji turned to ask the Hokage. "Tommorrow morning, at five o'clock, be ready. Meet Shizune at Area 111." Tsunade stated. "Okay! Another mission! Haha! I bet this will be interesting!" Naruto said in delight. He always liked having missions. 'Ugh... what a dobe...' Ino thought in disgust.

After sending off Naruto, Ino and Neji to prepare for their mission, Tsunade opened the list of chuunins who were to be sent to another mission. As she turned another page, the Hokage's brows furrowed in sheer concentration. "Shizune, are you sure that it will be okay to pair them up with each other?" Tsunade was quite skeptical about it. Afterall, it isn't easy to trust a once turned traitor chuunin and a yet emotionally unstable chuunin to undergo a Class B mission. "I think they're both ready, Tsunade-sama." Shizune stated. "Very well, Shizune... I trust your judgment."

In Area 115...

Sakura was breathing ragged breaths out of her lungs, trying to fight a Jounin with the use of a katana. She was trying to master Konoha's Secret Sword Technique but it seemed obvious that she needed more practice. "Tired already, Sakura?" Haru asked. He's a Jounin and a master swordsman with the use of Konoha's Secret Sword Technique. He's also the brother of the Jounin named Hayate who died when he learned of the plan to destroy Konoha (remember the sick-looking Examiner at the Third Chuunin Exam?).

"I chose to teach you the Secret Sword Technique because I thought you were special. Don't tell me you're just gonna give up." Haru challenged the pink-haired Chuunin who was trying to wield the katana. "I won't give up!" Sakura said as she ran towards him but suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye. "Konoha's Secret Sword Technique! Dance of the Crescent Moon!" Sakura appeared above the Jounin and was about to attack him with a heavy blow, but the Jounin was fast enough to lift his sword and block her attack.

"Nice one... but your form still needs much polishing. I think that's all for today. After doing the Dance of the Crescent Moon, your body will need rest." Haru said with a smile, showing off a dimple on his left cheek. He sheathed his katana back to its scabbard and went to sit beside the still panting Sakura. "By the way, the Hokage asked me to tell you that she wants you in her office this afternoon." Haru said. "Something about another mission, I guess."

"Okay... Thank you, Haru-sensei..." Sakura stood up and sheathed her own sword. Her knees were a little wobbly because of lifting a full-length katana but she didn't show any sign of protest. She slowly placed the katana over her shoulder and was ready to go. There's no doubt why Haru thought she was special. She's a talented medical specialist and a well-disciplined kunoichi.

"Oh, and Sakura... after you get back from your mission, I don't think we should use a full-length katana yet. I think I overdid training you immediately with a katana. Maybe next time, we could use a kodachi instead. You're still not used to the length of a katana. Is that okay?" Haru good-naturedly placed both his hands on the back of his head and walked along with Sakura. His silver colored hair was blown inecessantly by the wind.

"Hai, Haru-sensei!" Sakura smiled. She liked Haru-sensei. He was like a brother she never had. "So, I think I'll just walk you over to the Hokage's office." Haru said with a smile, to which Sakura also smiled in return.

Sakura arrived inside the Godaime's office with Haru, immediately noticing the presence of the onyx-eyed avenger. He was standing at a corner with both his hands buried deeply inside his pocket. The Hokage was busy fixing mounds of paper work but immediately stood up when Sakura and Haru entered the room.

"Konnichiwa, Tsunade-shishou..." Sakura greeted with a small bow. "Good afternoon, Sakura." The Godaime greeted back but she turned to Haru instead. "How was her training?" The Hokage immediately asked. "Fine, just fine, Tsunade-sama. She's starting to get the hang of using a sword." Haru answered good naturedly. He was very much like Kakashi minus the Icha Icha Paradise and the late timing.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that. You may leave now, Haru." The Godaime said, then, in a puff of smoke, Haru disappeared. Tsunade turned to the onyx-eyed avenger. Up to now, she still has doubts about the Uchiha prodigy but for now, she will try to trust him. "Sasuke, come here." She said to which the Uchiha silently obeyed. He stood side by side with Sakura and listened to the Hokage. "I'm sure you two know why you're both here right now. I am assigning you both to a Class B mission. The village of Ame will be holding it's Rain Festival three days from now. Your mission will be to protect the son of the village's daimyo. He will be honored as the succeeding daimyo of the town on the day of the festival. Our intelligence division has reported sightings of Akatsuki ninjas around the village of Ame. They may have planned something, and it is up to both of you to stop it."

Upon hearing the name Akatsuki, the Uchiha prodigy stiffened. Only one person came into his mind... Uchiha Itachi... If the Akatsuki ninjas are sighted on the village of Ame, there is a possibility that his brother will be there too. Only one thing ran inside the head of the younger Uchiha... Revenge...

By the next morning, both Sakura and Sasuke were ready. They met up at Area 214 and upon sunrise, they were ready to leave. It takes about a whole day and a half to get to the village of Ame but the two didnt waste any time. They hastened their speed and arrived on the border of the village of Ame by night time. One thing they didn't expect though, traps surrounded the borders of the village of Ame. They had to fight or they would be killed.

Sakura and Sasuke were both lured into a trap and they easily fell for it. Invisible chakra strings were unconsciously attached to their bodies! They were trapped and they couldn't move! Another disadvantage was that it was night time and it was dark. It was impossible to see things at night. "Sasuke-kun..." Sakura whispered in fear. She was paralyzed, she couldn't move! The strings were tied all over her body!

Sasuke gritted his teeth in disgust... They were in danger. He needs to do something! Fast! "Shraringan!" He activated his sharingan and saw strings of chakra tied to both their bodies. Next, he tried to move his hand but the string that was tied to his hand became tighter, slowly slashing his flesh. Blood seeped out of his wrist. 'Damn.!' He thought in disgust.

A low cackle was heard within the dark trees as it laughed evily at them. "Oh, would you look at that... I caught two little mice..." The voice laughed out loud. "So, Konoha sent you two to beat us, eh? For your information, the entire border of the village of Ame is surrounded by my strings! What do they think of me? Simply child's play!" The voice began drawing nearer until they saw the ninja to whom the voice belonged. He was tall and slim with red fiery hair and stitches at the side of his round dark eyes. His face was menacing as he faced Sakura. Slowly, he walked towards her and held her chin with his hands. He chuckled softly. "A doll, I see... Maybe I could play with you... Hehehe..."

Then, all of a sudden, the strings all fell loose. "Get your filthy hands off her." The Uchiha commanded in a deathly tone. His eyes burning red with his sharingan and his right wrist bleeding with crimson blood. He cut the chakra strings loose with the use of his right hand, moving it forcefully even though the sharp chakra strings sliced through his wrist.

tbc

a/n: tap-chan, I really appreciate your review. Thanks! Btw, I do own Haru and the string ninja villain...

Preview of the next Chapter: "Obsidian Chakra"

Because of too much dodging, Sasuke didn't notice the chakra string that was behind him. He tripped on the string and began falling down the branch and into the ground. He was about to stand up but the blade of Sakura's katana threatened to cut his throat. He had no escape. Sakura lifted the katana, preparing for one death blow to end Sasuke's life. Then, the blade came rushing down swiftly as Sakura's shout was heard. Sasuke couldn't do anything but close his eyes. Even if he used his hand to shield the katana's attack, it'd be no use. Was it the end?


	5. Chapter 5

"Obsidian Chakra"

Last Time:

Then, all of a sudden, the strings all fell loose. "Get your filthy hands off her." The Uchiha commanded in a deathly tone. His eyes burning red with his sharingan and his right wrist bleeding with crimson blood. He cut the chakra strings loose with the use of his right hand, moving it forcefully even though the sharp chakra strings sliced through his wrist.

- - -

As soon as the chakra strings broke loose, Sakura was able to freely move again. She jumped to another branch of a tree in order to put distance between her and their opponent. She took out one kunai and gritted her teeth, ready for battle. When things like this happen, she should not show any sign of weakness, especially since she was with Sasuke. She always hated the fact that he looked down on her. Calling her pathetic, pitiful and annoying.

"My, my... Youths nowadays are too stubborn. They couldn't see that they're overpowered by someone stronger. I think I'll just have to teach both of you a lesson, now, won't I?" The guy who was clad in a black cloak and was covered with bandages all over his torso said as he took out a kunai and licked it with his lips.

Sasuke's obsidian eyes looked at the ninja with a deathly glare. Especially because of the fact that the ninja who they were facing right now was one of the members of Akatsuki. A group which is being ruled by no other than his older brother. Sasuke was thankful enough that he paid attention on how Neji fought one of Orochimaru's ninjas who used the same technique as Kidoumaru. Now, it was time that he beat this string guy. If he couldn't beat this guy down, then, how more could he beat his own brother? He has to kill their opponent now, for him to become stronger.

Sasuke began activating some hand seals as he felt his chakra beginning to take form. "Katon! Housenka no Jutsu!" Sasuke opened his mouth as fire raged out of it, aiming the fiery inferno at the ninja that they were facing right now. Fire began consuming some dried twigs and leaves, and smoke began rising. As soon as he was done doing the fire jutsu, the Uchiha began taking another action, taking out a kunai out of his pouch. Using his sharingan, he was able to track down and anticipate where their opponent would be landing. In a swift motion, he appeared behind the Akatsuki ninja and thrusted his kunai into his back. Then, he jumped backwards, seeing the damage that he was able to initiate at the opponent.

With a puff of smoke, the Akatsuki ninja was soon replaced by a tree trunk! It was a fake! Sasuke has been fooled! The younger Uchiha gritted his teeth in disgust. As soon as the smoke faded, Sasuke saw the Akatsuki ninja standing on a tree branch with an evil grin plastered on his face. On his right hand was Sakura as he held her with his strings. She looked dazed with a blank expression on her eyes. She looked like she was under some trance.

Rain began pouring in as the night sky was filled with dark clouds and lightning kissed the sky. Thunder rolled at a distance but they don't seem to mind it. Sasuke realized that he couldn't use his fire jutsu because of the condition of the atmosphere. 'This couldn't be good...' Sasuke thought. He took out another kunai from his pouch and glared at the Akatsuki ninja. The ninja grinned back at him. He moved his fingers and as he did, Sakura began to unsheath the katana that was hanging from over her shoulder. Sasuke was puzzled momentarily. As he activated his sharingan once more, he saw chakra strings attached to Sakura, controlling her movements.

"Uchiha Sasuke... meet my little doll." The Akatsuki ninja said. Then, he moved his fingers, controlling Sakura and making her attack the onyx-eyed avenger with the use of her katana. Sasuke had no other choice but to dodge. He couldn't do any counter attack for if he did, it was Sakura who would be in danger. Sakura kept attacking him but all he could was dodge. He could cut the chakra strings that was binding her but it was entirely not possible because of the fact the she was attacking him in a fast motion.

Because of too much dodging, Sasuke didn't notice the chakra string that was behind him. He tripped on the string and began falling down the branch and into the ground. He was about to stand up but the blade of Sakura's katana threatened to cut his throat. He had no escape. Sakura lifted the katana, preparing for one death blow to end Sasuke's life. Then, the blade came rushing down swiftly as Sakura's shout was heard. Sasuke couldn't do anything but close his eyes. Even if he used his hand to shield the katana's attack, it'd be no use. Was it the end?

Sasuke's eyes was closed as he waited for the painful attack of the katana... But none came... He opened his eyes to see the katana's blade just inches above his head. Sakura's face was contorted by pain as beads of sweat rolled down her cheek. Her hands were shaking as she tried to fight the control of the Akatsuki ninja upon her. She was trying to fight back. "Sa... su... ke-kun..." She whispered his name. "I... can't... hold... it... any... longer..." Sakura further said.

Sakura's wrists and ankles began to drip with blood. Even her arms, legs, shoulders and neck began bleeding. The string was getting tighter each moment that she tries to fight for control. Not only that! The strings were able to attach themselves into her muscles, bones and joints, completely sealing out the control of her movements away from her! If this persists, she may damage her tissues and break her own bones!

Sasuke needs to do something now! He began running towards the Akatsuki nin while Sakura was still trying to fight for control. He took out three shurikens from his pouch and threw it at the ninja who instantly avoided it. Sasuke then engaged in hand to hand combat against the nin. He was good at taijutsu and he was confident with his skills but the nin was able to either block or dodge all of his attacks!

"Not good enough, Sasuke... It seems that Itachi was right about you afterall... I just thought that he might be underestimating you... But I can see clearly that he's right... You are weak..." The Akatsuki nin hissed at the obsidian-eyed avenger. He got a kunai and threw it at Sasuke. Sasuke, thinking that the kunai was meant for him, dodged it. But what he didn't know was that it was meant for the pink-haired kunoichi that was already facing them. The kunai hit her straight into the chest, just above her heart.

Upon the mention of his brother's name, calling him weak and because of hurting a certain jade-eyed kunoichi that was unconsciously very dear to him, an overwhelming feeling of hate, contempt and anger began surging up inside Sasuke's chest. The aura of the chakra that he emitted has changed. Instead of blue, it was black. This was the power of his real chakra. He was able to produce this kind of chakra because of anger. He had learned to concentrate his anger into molding his chakra that's why the color of the chakra that he produced was black. He had learned to control it after training inside Orochimaru's camp. Instantly, as his black chakra was activated, his obsidian eyes turned to crimson ones, signaling the effect of his sharingan.

He turned his crimson eyes into the Akatsuki nin, glaring dangerously. Then, he paralyzed the Akatsuki nin with the use of a dou-jutsu. Afterwards, he lifted both his hands and did a series of hand seals. Then, he lifted his right hand up and molded chakra on his palm. The result was... a black chidori... "You're dead..." Sasuke said coldly as he ran towards to the Akatsuki nin. "Chidori!" He shouted as he delivered the Chidori into the opponent's body.

A loud shout reverbrated throughout the forest, signaling the end of a brutal fight. Sasuke stood still, a bit exhausted but still very much alert. Aside from the physical beatings that he recieved, he had a few gash and bruises courtesy of the Akatsuki nin's strings and Sakura's katana. After being sure that his opponent had been beaten, Sasuke immediately ran to Sakura's side. Among the two of them, she was the medical specialist. How the hell would he heal her when he doesn't even know a single medical jutsu!

tbc

a/n: our school starts on the 13th of june, dunno if I could update regularly then... oh, and pls givea review! I need inspiration right now!

Preview of Next Chapter: "Unknown Jealousy"

"Uh, good morning, Sasuke-kun." Sakura greeted, still sitting down and leaning on the tree. Sasuke stood up and went to the remains of their fire. Beside it laid Sakura's red dress. Upon seeing her red dress, Sakura looked at herself. "Oh, my God!" She suddenly shrieked. She looked at herself and saw that her torso was bandaged and that she was not wearing anything on top, in short, she was half-naked just as Sasuke and she was only covered with none other than Sasuke's shirt! Her mouth fell open at the realization. "Don't tell me you were the one who placed this bandage on me!" Sakura asked in sheer shock.


	6. Chapter 6

"Unknown Jealousy"

The tendrils of the refreshing sun rise seeped through the trees as dawn came. Sasuke was huddled in a corner, leaning on a tree as Sakura sat beside him. Her head leaning unto his shoulder. The scent of the forest was refreshing since the ground and trees were moist because of the rain last night. The pink-haired kunoichi wrinkled her eyes before finally opening them up. She looked around and was surprised to see the half-naked Sasuke sleeping peacefully beside her. Because of her sudden movement, Sasuke was awakened. "Hn... Good, you're awake..." He said nonchalantly.

"Uh, good morning, Sasuke-kun." Sakura greeted, still sitting down and leaning on the tree. Sasuke stood up and went to the remains of their fire. Beside it laid Sakura's red dress. Upon seeing her red dress, Sakura looked at herself. "Oh, my God!" She suddenly shrieked. She looked at herself and saw that her torso was bandaged and that she was not wearing anything on top, in short, she was half-naked just as Sasuke and she was only covered with none other than Sasuke's shirt! Her mouth fell open at the realization. "Don't tell me you were the one who placed this bandage on me!" Sakura asked in sheer shock.

Sasuke merely picked up her clothes, and yes, including her bra, then handed it to her. His eyes were closed as he refused to answer her question. "Other than you and me, do you see anyone else around here?" Sasuke asked in annoyance. He sweared, sometimes, girls are such of low pick-up. "No..." Sakura answered his question as she got her clothes from him. "Then, does that answer your question?" Sasuke asked back.

"Then... You... You saw my...!" Sakura was a bit hesitant to say 'that' upper part of her body because Sasuke was in fact a guy. Her cheeks turned crimson as she saw his own cheeks turn beet red. THAT answered her question. Sasuke chose to rather turn his back on her to hide his embarrassment, but clearly, it was too late since she had already seen the blush on his face.

Without looking back on her, he extended his right hand. "Give me my shirt back." It was more of a command. Slowly, Sakura handed him his shirt as she covered her body with her red dress. "Hurry and dress up. We have to reach the village of Ame." Sasuke said as he doned on his shirt and jumped up a tree. Then, he began going towards the direction of the village of Ame, giving Sakura some time to put on her dress. Then, she began applying medical jutsu to her wounds and in a matter of minutes, all of her wounds were healed. Soon afterwards, Sakura caught up with him and forced him to stop for a while.

"You better give me a good reason why you wanted us to stop." Sasuke ordered. Sakura crossed her arms across her chest and heaved out a sigh. "Fine!" She said as she went towards him. She stood in front of him and picked up his right hand. "Hold it up for me." She managed to order the Uchiha who was a bit bewildered at what she was trying to do. She did a series of hand seals and applied Chiyute No Jutsu to the slash on his wrist. She did the same to his other bruises, then, afterwards, she went on jumping from tree to tree, leaving behind the bewildered Sasuke. After recovering form his trance, he also caught up with her and they both traveled to reach the village of Ame.

Sasuke was lost within his own trail of thoughts as they headed for the Village of Ame. He couldn't get last night's memory out of his mind. He tried to shake those thoughts off but they just kept coming back. 'Stop thinking about!' He told himself but it was just not possible. Sakura was unconscious. She had lost a great deal of blood. It was raining and they were both soaked. Of course he needed to do something!

He remembered how he felt when he slowly slid the kunoichi's dress from her shoulders. He had to use every ounce of self-control he had just to slowly take off her dress and not hurt her wound in the process. Taking off her bra took much effort and finally, Kami-sama knew that it took all of his will power to place those bandages on... He tried to look away as he placed those bandages on her but, he had to make sure that the bandages were placed correctly. He had to take several moments of concentration just to control himself and his raging hormones from doing... things... to Sakura... 'Stop it... You're pathetic' Sasuke thought within himself but couln't do anything about it. He was, after all, a pure-blooded, straight male. 'Damn hormones...' He cursed silently.

Finally, they reached their destination. The streets of the village of Ame was filled with people. There were stalls selling different goods but both Sakura and Sasuke went directly to the house of the village's daimyo. They were welcomed by the village's daimyo who was named Mashino Andou. His son, Akiyoshi Andou or 'Aki' was standing beside him. His long, raven hair was pulled into a knot with a blue ponytail and he was wearing a navy blue gi and a black hakama. He looked like the same age as Sakura and Sasuke.

"Welcome, ninjas of Konoha." The daimyo said as they all sat around a table while having a morning tea. "I am Mashino Andou, the daimyo of this village and this is my son, Akiyoshi, to whom the title of being daimyo will be handed during the Rain Festival." The strength of the daimyo's character was obviously shown in his voice.

"I'm Haruno Sakura and this is Uchiha Sasuke, we were sent by Tsunade-sama to help you." Sakura introduced themselves. "To tell you honestly, our village has powerful samurais who are experts in wielding swords but we have information that our rival village has sent ninjas to ruin our Rain Festival." Mashino spoke after sipping his tea.

"That's why we're here, sir." Sakura answered. "Very well... Hm... I see that you have a katana..." The elder Andou spoke noticing the katana that was hanging on Sakura's back. "Uh, yes, I am still learning a technique in using it." Sakura answered meekly. "May I see it?" The younger Andou asked as he looked at Sakura intently. "Uh, sure..." Sakura slowly slid the katana down from her shoulder and handed it to Akiyoshi.

"Hmm... I see that this is a good and dependable sword... The metal used is not of ordinary origin..." Akiyoshi looked at Sakura and smiled. "I really admire women who can yield swords. In this village of ours, very few women choose to learn how to use a sword. More often than not, they rather choose to marry and be a mother." Akiyoshi seemed friendly enough and Sakura decided that she liked him.

"Father, may I tour them around the village? I think, as visitors, they should also be allowed to enjoy our Festival." Akiyoshi turned to his father. "Besides, the turnover ceremony will not be held until tonight." He further said. The older Andou only nodded in response.

"Very well then, Father, we shall get going now. See you later then." Akiyoshi stood up as Sakura and Sasuke followed suit. They followed Akiyoshi as he went through their gate. "This is a jinrikshaw. We'll have to ride this for us to get to town." Akiyoshi explained with a smile. "But, I think, we have a slight problem. Since only two passengers can occupy one jinrikshaw."

"Oh, that's fine! Sasuke can ride another. He likes to be alone anyway. Isn't that right, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura turned to Sasuke who only snorted in response. True enought, he liked being alone. But when she said that he'd ride on another jinrikshaw, it's like saying that she'd prefer to ride with Akiyoshi. That realization made him sulk deep inside.

"Well, that's good... I think... Now, why don't we go ride to town?" Akiyoshi smiled as he helped Sakura up the jinrikshaw while Sasuke got up on another. Sakura and Akiyoshi rode on one jinrikshaw while Sasuke was mentally sulking. Because of what reason? Even he, doesn't know why. He simply placed both his arms across his chets and pretended not to care.

"Do you have jinrikshaw back in Konoha, Sakura-dono?" Akiyoshi asked Sakura while riding the jinrikshaw. "You can call me, Sakura-chan. Sakura-dono is a bit too formal." Sakura said with a smile. "Well, we, ninjas of Konoha usually travel by foot or by riding horses that's why don't have jinrikshaws. People of Konoha are usually physically strong anyway, that's why they prefer to travel by foot. Um... Akiyoshi-sama, might I ask, is it hard to be a daimyo?" The pink-haired chuunin asked innocently.

"Call me Aki-kun and I'll answer your question. Hmm... Based on experience since my father is the daimyo of this town, I think it is. You know, you have to tend to the needs of the people. You have to let justice prevail and when the town has enemies or is being attacked, the daimyo has to fight for the town. Pretty much like a leader of the town. Plus, you have to be a master swordsman in order for you to prove that you are strong."

"You are a master swordsman then?" Sakura asked. Akiyoshi smiled uncomfortably. "Ne, Sakura-chan, I just know how to use a sword, that's all." He said. All the while that Akiyoshi and Sakura were chatting merrily, Sasuke was throwing deadly glares at the young samurai. He tried to find a logical reason why he was acting that way but he could not think of any logical reason to explain why.

At last, they reached the town plaza. The streets was filled with stalls selling goods, flowers, toys and even accessories. Akiyoshi toured Sakura around and many people had recognized Akiyoshi's presence, making it obvious that he is a well-known personality around town. 'So what if he's popular!" Sasuke sulked mentally but kept his mouth shut.

As Sakura and Akiyoshi were looking on a stall, Akiyoshi suddenly pushed Sakura behind his back and at the same time unsheathed his sword and deflect the attack of shurikens towards them with the use of his sword. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?" The young samurai asked. "Yeah, I'm okay... Where did those come from?" Sakura asked.

"From that roof over there!" Sasuke answered. Even before the shurikens have been deflected by Akiyoshi, Sasuke already sensed them and was about to do something about it, but Akiyoshi already did something. "I'm going after it." Sasuke said and began jumping up the roof, trying to find the person who threw those shurikens. "I'll come with you!" Sakura said and began going after Sasuke.

Meanwhile, the young samurai who saw them jump up high was only dumbfounded. 'Who are these people?' He thought bewilderedly.

tbc

a/n: school kinda sucks... imagine Physics, Chemistry, Trigonometry, Statistics & Economics being crammed all in a day, 4 days a week with a minimum of 50 minutes each subject with Physics taking up two periods, meaning having 1 hr and 40 minutes of lecture in Physics. Not to mention, other subjects such as English, Filipino, Music, P.E. & Home Economics... Plus our Citizen Army Training once a week... Oh, Kami-sama... It's only the start of our school year here in the Philippines but I'm going crazy already! That's why updating my fiction story is a little hefty... Hope you guys understand... And pls REVIEW! I need inspirations!

Preview of the next chapter: "Past Bussiness"

Meanwhile, Sakura and Sasuke hid behind a thick bush and watched as the scene slowly unfolded before them. It looked like Akiyoshi was about to battle the guy who was standing across him. "Should we help Aki-kun?" Sakura whispered the question to Sasuke who was crouching beside her. "No, we shouldn't interfere and you better hide your chakra. Besides, I think we have our hands full." Sasuke said as he pointed towards a certain tree. There, above the tree, was no doubt, one of the Akatsuki ninjas.


	7. Chapter 7

"Past Bussiness"

Sasuke stood momentarily on top of a roof and asctivated his sharingan, hoping that it could somehow help him find the person responsible for throwing the shurikens, but it was in vain. He tried to look around but everything seemed normal. 'Chikusho...' He cursed under his breath as he saw no sign of any ninja or whatsoever. "Ne, Sasuke-kun, who do you think did it?" Sakura asked as she stood beside him.

"Who else? Maybe one of the Akatsuki ninjas." Sasuke answered in annoyance. He turned his back and made his way back to the stall where the young samurai that they were ordered to protect was still waiting. "But, Sasuke-kun, Aki-kun seemed nice. I couldn't think of a reason why someone would want him eliminated."

'Aki-kun huh? You're that close now?' Sasuke thought in disgust but chose to hide it instead. "Political reasons maybe." He answered shortly. "Hmm... Maybe... But I still think it's not fair to eliminate someone just because of political reasons." Sakura further spoke which made the raven-haired avenger a bit pissed. Sasuke briefly stopped moving and turned to face the pink-haired kunoichi. "Shut up... It's annoying..." He directly said, then turned his back on her, and continued making his way back to the stall.

"Huh? What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" Akiyoshi asked as soon as he saw the young kunoichi's saddened face. Sakura tried to smile and act cheerfully as she waved her hands signaling that it's just nothing. "Uh, I'm okay, it's nothing." She said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Did you see anybody up there?" Akiyoshi asked Sakura but he was answered by the raven-haired avenger. "We saw nobody." He simply said as he placed both his arms across his chest.

Akiyoshi smiled uncomfortably at the Uchiha. "Ne, Sasuke-san, it is nice to hear your voice. You should participate in our discussions more often." Akiyoshi commented seeing that the Uchiha was a silent type of person. "Hn... Whatever..." Sasuke slyly replied and spoke no more. "Aki-kun, I think we should be on guard from here on. We really don't have any idea what kind of people are trying to kill you. We only know that they're deadly and dangerous." Sakura told the young samurai who only smiled in reply.

"Well then, Sakura-chan, since you're learning how to yield a katana, why don't I take you to my kendo dojo? It's where I started learning how to use a sword." Akiyoshi invited warmly. Truthfully, he was nice and Sakura liked him. Unlike Sasuke, Akiyoshi was more of a gentleman and never insults a woman. He was lovable since he was nice, not like Sasuke who has fan girls that were only after his looks and just because he looks cool.

The group's next stop was Akiyoshi's kendo dojo which was only a few blocks from the town plaza. He and Sakura chatted warmly while walking on the way as Sasuke only sulked more. When they reached the dojo, Akiyoshi was greeted by children who were also students of the dojo. "Akiyoshi-sama!" They all chorused in glee and delight as they saw the renowned samurai. They all dropped their bokkens and rushed to see him, admiring him like their role model.

"Hello, children!"Akiyoshi greeted with a warm smile to all the children who rushed to see him. An elderly man clad in brown gi and white hakama went towards them with a proud smile on his face. Akiyoshi bowed respectfully before him. "Ohayou, Nikura-sensei." He greeted formally. The elder man only nodded in response. "What brings you here, Akiyoshi? You should be busy by now, seeing that you have to prepare for your turn over ceremony tonight." Nikua-sensei spoke softly.

"I have visitors from the village of Konoha, Nikura-sensei. I decided to bring them here because one of them is currently learning to yield a sword.I thought that it would be good to show them a thing or two about swords." Akiyoshi answered in a nice manner. "By the way, this is Sakura-chan and Sasuke-san, they're the visitors I told you about."

"Nice meeting you two, I am Nikura Hamada, Akiyoshi's former sensei." The old man introduced himself to them and then turned to Sasuke. "Are you the one learning to use a sword?" The elderly sensei asked. "Hn... No, it's her." Sasuke answered as he pointed towards Sakura. The veteran samurai looked at Sakura and smiled. "A female, I see... Very good... It's not everyday I get to meet a female sword yielder..." The elderly man's face looked kindred as he smiled.

There was tea and an interesting conversation ranging from different topics including weaponry, samurais and ninjas. Sakura was cheerful enough to contribute to their topic unlike the obsidian-eyed prodigy who chose to listen rather than speak instead. Nikura-sensei turned out to be a war-hero in his younger days and decided to settle down and build his own dojo to pass his craft to the younger generation. They stayed at the dojo and shared lunch with Akiyoshi and his sensei, together with the sensei's wife, Mrs. Hamada. Lunch was superb because of the Mrs. Hamada's expert cooking.

In the afternoon, Sakura was given the chance to watch how the young students of Nikura-sensei practice their craft using their bokken. The children were all very eager to learn. Some were practicing in pairs and do sparring sessions, some just practice in a corner alone, trying to keep in mind each step both in attack and defence. "Akiyoshi, I forgot to tell you..." Nikura-sensei began as Akiyoshi turned to face him. "Negishi Nagano came here yesterday. He told me to give you this." Nikura sensei handed a piece of paper to Akiyoshi.

Akiyoshi slowly opened it and carefully read its content. His brows furrowed in concentration while digesting the information written inside the piece of paper. Afterwhich, he crumpled the piece of paper and placed it inside his chest pocket, then turned to Sakura and Sasuke. "I'm afraid, I have some personal bussiness to attend to. It concerns very important matters and I must see to it immediately." Akiyoshi explained to the two Konoha ninjas.

"Is it about tonight?" Sakura asked the young samurai who was smiling, trying to hide the strain in his face. "No, actually, it's a different matter. I'm afraid, I have to settle it alone." Akiyoshi told them gently. "We insist to come with you." Sakura insisted.

Akiyoshi smiled. "There's no need for that. I'm sure I can handle myself. It's a really small thing and I'm sure I can be back in no time." He tried to assure them. Sakura was doubting what he said but couldn't do anything about it since Akiyoshi was insisting that he go alone. In the end, they couldn't do anything but let Akiyoshi go on without them.

A few minutes after Akiyoshi left, Nikura-sensei turned to them and said, "Do what you must. Follow him." Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other and nodded. In no time, they were able to follow Akiyoshi without him knowing of their presence. He was walking on a road leading to the forest outside town with his right hand securely holding the handle of his katana that was hanging on his waist. His kind and smiling expression was no more and he looked like he was going into battle.

Akiyoshi stopped walking when he reached a clearing beside a running river. His expression, deathly serious. His long bangs covering his eyes as he looked at the man who was standing across him. "I'm glad you accepted my invitation, Akiyoshi Andou. I have been waiting to be given a chance to kill you." The man wearing a black gi and hakama smiled maniacally at Akiyoshi.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Sasuke hid behind a thick bush and watched as the scene slowly unfolded before them. It looked like Akiyoshi was about to battle the guy who was standing across him. "Should we help Aki-kun?" Sakura whispered the question to Sasuke who was crouching beside her. "No, we shouldn't interfere and you better hide your chakra. Besides, I think we have our hands full." Sasuke said as he pointed towards a certain tree. There, above the tree, was no doubt, one of the Akatsuki ninjas.

"Negishi Nagano..."Akiyoshi spoke out his name with unuttered hate and contempt. "I'm glad you still remember my name, my dear bestfriend." Negishi smiled sarcastically at Akiyoshi who threw dagger stares at him. "Who wouldn't? You murdered my mother..." Akiyoshi spoke in a deathly tone.

tbc

a/n: argh... the hell... I've been suffering from muscles aches lately! I couldn't even move properly! My back and legs are killing me! Thanks to basketball, I've been loosing pretty much of my fats(poor me...), which means that I couldn't achieve my dream of finally getting fat! Weird huh? Pls. Review everyone! I really need it! School's been bugging me lately and I really need to find inspiration to type... Thanks!

Preview of next chapter: "Foes and Battles"

The little girl took a step from the branch and began falling to the ground. But she didn't fall as expected. As stealthy as a cat, she did a flip in mid-air and landed smoothly on the ground. She flipped her raven hair to her back and smiled. "Let's all play hide and seek. You go hide and I'll be 'it'... I'll count to ten, remain unseen. As I say start, our game will begin!" The little girl was cheerfully smiling. Fooling an ordinary person with her innocent charm.


	8. Chapter 8

"Foes and Battles"

The clearing where Akiyoshi and his opponent stood was surrounded with trees. Beside the clearing was a running river and a small boat. Sakura and Sasuke had calculated the area of the whole clearing plus the perimeter surrounding the area. They both decided to undo any sort of trap that might surround the area. With a final nod from Sasuke, both discreetly ran to opposite directions and did a primary survey to the area.

Apparently, they only had one opponent. A ninja clad in Akatsuki cloak with a straw hat on top of his head. The ninja's face was hidden from plain view as he stood from the top of a tree. An evil smile crased the ninja's lips as he sensed the presence of the two Chuunins of Konoha. 'This will be fun...' The Akatsuki nin thought as he suddenly took off his cloak and reveal his identity to the two Chuunins who were hidden from plain view.

Shock filled the faces of the two Chuunins upon seeing the Akatsuki nin's form. There, standing above the tree, was a young girl clad in white kimono. Her face was filled with youthful innocence as she held three white lilies in hand, her shiny dark hair cascading freely with the breeze. Apparently, the Akatsuki nin that they had anticipated to be a strong and brawny guy, was in fact an innocent-looking young girl with pools of amethyst for eyes.

On the other hand, Akiyoshi and Negishi began their battle as they both unsheathed their swords and charged at each other. Both intent on killing one other. In the blink of an eye, their swords met in a loud clunk as metal met metal. Both swordsman separated for a moment as they stood apart from each other. Each panting sightly as they both held their swords and again, stood in battle stance. Akiyoshi's eyes were death serious as he threw a deadly glare to his opponent who was grinning at him.

Akiyoshi shifted his stance and brought his sword up. He pointed the tip towards Negishi, then spread his legs apart and bent them firmly. His right arm bent as it held his sword and his left hand spread straight in front of him, pointing towards the opponent with his palms open. Negishi remained grinning and still in battle stance, he suddenly launched towards Akiyoshi who was ready, just waiting for his opponent's attack.

"Kai!" Sasuke spoke, trying to dispel any illusion jutsu that might cause them to see the little girl, but still, no difference was made. There, still standing on top of the tree was a little girl. She was chuckling softly as the petals of the white lilies were slowly carried off by the wind. The little girl opened her palm and let the lilies fly with the breeze. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" She said in a freaky sing-song voice.

"Chikusho..." Sasuke muttered curses under his breath. This could not be good. On the other hand, Sakura was still confused by the little girl's appearance. How the hell could an innocent looking girl be an Akatsuki nin! It was entirely not possible!

The little girl took a step from the branch and began falling to the ground. But she didn't fall as expected. As stealthy as a cat, she did a flip in mid-air and landed smoothly on the ground. She flipped her raven hair to her back and smiled. "Let's all play hide and seek. You go hide and I'll be 'it'... I'll count to ten, remain unseen. As I say start, our game will begin!" The little girl was cheerfully smiling. Fooling an ordinary person with her innocent charm.

"One, two... looks can decieve you..." The little girl began counting as she stepped up behind a tree, checking if there was someone there. But found no one. "Wow! You guys can hide really good! I like that!" She skipped merrily on the forest ground.

Meanwhile, Akiyoshi and Negishi's fight continued on. Their swords were pressed heatedly on each other as they both fought for dominance. Negishi kicked Akiyoshi on the stomach and Akiyoshi stumbled to the ground. But he didn't give up easily. He stood up immediately and launched another attack. Negishi expected a frontal blow coming from Akiyoshi but clearly, he was wrong. Instead of attacking up front, Akiyoshi suddenly disappeared in a whirl of dust and appeared behind Negishi, thrusting his sword at Negishi's side in the process.

Blood splurted out from Negishi's mouth but he remained grinning. "You and I are the same, Akiyoshi. You must accept that fact!" Negishi spoke bitterly but Akiyoshi heeded no attention to him. Instead, he pulled out his sword and stood looking at his opponent who was kneeling on the ground, badly bleeding. "We are very different, Negishi. Yes, we both wanted to be strong. We both aspired to become the next daimyo. But we're very different. You are ruthless, while I? I care for the people I consider my family. I learned to value life and co-exist with the people who accept me for who I am."

Negishi only laughed out loud at what Akiyoshi said. "LIES! You fool! You cannot change the fact that Nikura-sensei had trained you to become a ruthless killing machine! You were made to kill, slaughter, destroy and anniolate life!" Negishi slowly rose up and without another word, ran towards Akiyoshi and plunged his sword into Akiyoshi's side. "I won't die without you! I will bring you with me!" Negishi spoke as he finally breathed his last.

"Seven, eight... I'll catch you, you just wait..." The little girl lingered playfully near where Sakura was hiding. She skipped playfully as she smiled innocently. "Nine, ten... Prepare to be slain!" In a wink of an eye, the little girl stood in front of Sakura, her eyes looking vicious while staring at her next kill. An evil grin filled her lips. Sakura jumped backwards and stood in battle stance.

"I found you! You're next... On my deathlist..." The little girl spoke dangerously. She advanced towards Sakura who only stepped back in fear as she looked deeply into the amethyst eyes of the little girl. Slowly, her eyes were filled with smokey crimson while looking at her next prey. The little girl took out a kunai from the inside of her kimono. She maintained eye-contact with the pink-haired kunoichi and slowly, Sakura kneeled to the ground with a distraught expression on her face.

The little girl lifted her hand up which held the kunai and was about to stab Sakura on the chest when suddenly, three shurikens were thrown at the little girl's direction. She had to dodge them or she would be hit. Sasuke appeared in front of Sakura with a kunai at hand and his sharingan staring dangerously back at the little girl's smokey crimson eyes. Crimson met crimson. The little girl smiled.

"Itachi-sama would be delighted if I bring him your head as a present..." The little girl spoke in a low and dangerous tone that sent shivers down the avenger's spine, but he heeded no attention to it. 'Those eyes' Sasuke thought. They have the same effect as Orochimaru's eyes... No wonder Sakura was suddenly in distraught. Sasuke gritted his teeth in unuttered disgust. Then, he thought of Itachi. His blood suddenly boiled and anger flashed dangerously in his eyes as he recalled bits and pieces of memories on the night of the massacre.

Anger. Revenge. Death... He will bring Itachi death no matter what. All of a sudden, Sasuke sprinted towards the little girl with such speed and intensity that took the little girl by surprise. Before the little girl knew it, Sasuke was already in front of her with a kunai at hand and jammed it on her chest. Her white kimono was splattered with crimson blood. "Never call me weak..." Sasuke stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

The little girl looked taken aback. Tears slowly formed at the corners of her eyes and one by one, they fell. "Waaaah!" She cried like a baby. "I hate you! Itachi-sama will kill you for doing this to me!" The little girl tried to retort back to Sasuke but it was no use. Blood already oozed from the corners of her mouth. She was undoubtedly dying. Slowly, the little girl slumped down and finally breathed her last.

On the other hand, up above the trees... 'Kirika is such a fool! She shouldn't have played around too much! Tsk...tsk... I must inform Itachi-sama about this' Then, in a sudden motion, the figure above the trees disappeared.

On the other hand, Sasuke ran to Sakura's side who was kneeling helplessly on the ground with a dazed and fearful expression. "Sakura... Sakura!" He shook her hard but when she turned to look at him, tears suddenly fell from her emerald eyes. Sasuke was surprised when she suddenly threw her arms around his neck and sobbed uncontrollably on his chest. 'What the...' He thought as he looked at the crying Sakura, but as he eyed her carefully, he couldn't help but reach out to her. Slowly but solemnly, his eyes were filled with a tender fondness as he looked at the crying kunoichi. Unknowingly, both his arms slowly encircled Sakura's vulnerable form, giving her the feeling of security and comfort that she ultimately deserves.

tbc

a/n: Kirika's character was inspired by a friend of mine who uses the name Arthrael99... too bad she doesn't write fanfics...

Preview of Next Chapter: "A Samurai's Promise"

"Aki-kun..." Sakura uttered out his name. By then, they were already in front of Akiyoshi's house. "I want you to know that I really enjoyed being with you tonight." Akiyoshi said as he bent down to kiss her on the lips but suddenly, "Ehem..." Someone coughed up from the dark corner. It turned out to be Sasuke. "Good, you're here, Sakura. I just want to remind you that we'll be leaving first thing in the morning tommorrow." Sasuke said and then turned his back on them to enter the house. Sakura and Akiyoshi looked away from each other, obviously a bit embarrassed. Akiyoshi simply smiled hopefully. "Like I told you, Sakura-chan, being a daimyo is a great responsibility. Things are unpredictable. But maybe, someday, when I no longer have this great responsibility tied to me, I could go to Konoha and be your prince. 'Till then, always keep in mind that I'm just here. I won't ask you to wait but please be assured that I will always be reserved for you."


	9. Chapter 9

"A Samurai's Promise"

"I think he'll be okay, Sasuke-kun." Sakura spoke up while pulling the blanket up to Akiyoshi's shoulder. Akiyoshi had lost too much blood and Sakura had already given him some medicine to increase blood supply throughout his body. He was weak and battered but he was miraculously still alive. Negishi's last attack damaged some of his organs but nonetheless, Sakura was able to fix them in no time. The only thing that they were waiting for was for Akiyoshi to wake up.

"Um... Ano, Sasuke-kun... I want to thank you for saving me back there..." Sakura shyly said as faint pink hues appeared on her cheeks. Sasuke chose not to reply but only snorted, acknowledging her thankfulness. "Do you think they'll still attack Aki-kun during the turn-over ceremony tonight?" Sakura questioned the silent Uchiha. "Hmm... It's entirely possible that they'll do a counter-attack tonight." Sasuke answered shortly. "We should be alert and prepared for tonight then." Sakura stated to which the Uchiha prodigy only nodded in response.

The turn-over ceremony was scheduled at seven o'clock and Akiyoshi was able to be awake by that time. He had to hurry and change in time for the ceremony. On the other hand, Sakura was given a nice pair of nagajugan and kimono. The kimono was yellow with a pattern depicting leaves and sakura blossoms falling. Her obi was colored light blue and she wore sandals rather than her shinobi for her foot wear. Meanwhile, the attendants of the daimyo had difficulty in convincing the silent avenger to wear the clothes that they had prepared for him.

"I said NO!" Sasuke shouted in agitation. He even threatened the lady attendants with a kunai. On the other hand, after putting on her kimono, Sakura insisted to go and see Sasuke and inform him about Akiyoshi's condition. Sakura slowly slid the door to the guest room where Sasuke was staying. "Sasuke-kun?" She peeked inside, only to see the three lady-attendants quivering in fear at a corner and Sasuke standing while leaning on the wall with a kunai at hand. Obviously, he was still not dressed.

"Sasuke-kun, why aren't you dressed yet?" Sakura asked as she let herself inside the room. Sasuke turned his head to look at the young kunoichi who just entered the room and couldn't help himself from surveying her from top to toe. His eyes stopping directly to meet her gaze. For a moment, they had eye-contact but Sasuke chose to break away. He smirked. 'She looked rather nice... So? As if I care...' Sasuke tried to tell himself but he knew clearly that he was only fooling himself.

"Sakura-dono, um, we just went here to assist Sasuke-sama in wearing these clothes..." One of the quivering attendants handed a navy blue gi and white hakama to Sakura. "Thank you." Sakura smiled kindly to the attendant.

"There is NO WAY I'm wearing that! Get out!" Sasuke shouted at the attendants, but they only remained where they were. "Um... ah... Our instructions were clear, Sasuke-sama... We should help you get dressed..." One of them spoke out. "I said GET OUT!!!" Sasuke only grew pissed. Sakura turned to the attendants and offered a kind smile. "You may go out now. Don't worry. I'll take care of Sasuke-kun." She said in a peaceful tone, totally opposite of the Uchiha's.

The attendants were only too eager to get out of the room. As soon as the attendants were out, Sakura turned to Sasuke and smiled. "Now, why don't we get you dressed for the ceremony?" Sakura said as she went towards Sasuke. "I said I'm not wearing that." Sasuke greatly declined. Sakura stood in front of him and spread the navy blue gi in front of him. She placed it in front of his torso and looked at it intently. "Remember what Iruka-sensei told to us when we were only starting? He said, no matter what you wear, you're still a ninja. No matter what you have to wear, wear it, and be a professional ninja. A strong ninja doesn't care about what he wears anyway, right? Besides, I think this would really look good on you." Sakura said convincingly.

Whether it was the 'Iruka-sensei-told-us' part, or the 'strong-nin-doesn't-care-what-he-wears' part, Sasuke was soon persuaded. "So, will you wear this?" Sakura asked innocently. Sasuke chose to close his eyes and didn't answer. Sakura smiled. "Well then, I'll take your silence as a yes!" She said, and then placed the hakama on the bedside. She held the gi and went back in front of Sasuke. "Now, take off your shirt." She softly ordered. Without any word coming from him, the Uchiha prodigy miraculously obeyed! No ifs, no buts!

Sasuke lifted his shirt up and completely took it off of himself, revealing his toned chest and well-scupted muscles beneath the dark fabric of his shirt. Sakura was a bit embarrassed but chose to hide it. She handed the navy blue gi to him which he silently slid on. Next, Sakura had to turn around as Sasuke doned on the hakama. Afterwards, she had to help him fix his gi and hakama. "There. All done!" Sakura smiled cheerfully. Then, she hooked up her arm with his and led him to attend the ceremony. "By the way, Aki-kun is all better now. He wanted to say thank you personally but he had to prepare for the ceremony." At the mention of the young samurai's name, the young Uchiha fumed silently.

"Hn..." Sasuke merely replied. As usual, he simply chose to snort rather than say what he really wanted to say. Such are the problems of loners and brooding people. But somehow, for each and every person, there is really someone who is destined for him/her. The only trouble is finding them through a crowd of millions and winning him/her over rather than hurt him/her and bring sadness to his/her life.

The ceremony had begun when Sasuke and Sakura arrived. They were given seats next to Akiyoshi and the people were told that they were Akiyoshi's distant cousins to stiffle answering any more questions that may arise. Sakura smiled cheerfully as she sat beside Akiyoshi who gave her a genuine smile in return. Sasuke remained calm, alert and passive. He couldn't help but sulk.

"We all know who Akiyoshi Andou is. He is a respected man. Being a master swordsman at such a young age, mastering different sword techniques diligently and finally able to prove himself through countless battles. Akiyoshi has proven not only to me but also to the people of the village of Ame his worth as an individual, therefore, on this very faithful day, we give honor to him as the next daimyo of this village. Ladies and gentlemen, let us here our new daimyo speak!" The announcer was ever energetic as he introduced Akiyoshi.

Akiyoshi smiled as the announcer gave the floor to him. He slowly stood up from where he sat and went in front of the people with a smile of humility. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." Akiyoshi smiled sincerely. Sakura couldn't help but smile. Akiyoshi deserved all the glory and honor that the village people gave him.

Cheers and claps were given as Akiyoshi began speaking. Then, out of the crowd, someone was heard shouting, "Aki-sama! Let me be your princess!" Another one shouted, "Aki-sama, be my prince!" Or "Marry me, Aki-sama!" Akiyoshi scratched the back of his head as he heard these comments and turned beet red, but smiled nonetheless. "Er... Well, honestly, I don't know what to say... Thank you for admiring me so much but I think you're only thinking so highly of me. I'm not a God. I'm just me, but I'll try my best to serve the village at the best of my ability. Thank you very much." Akiyoshi ended his short speech and sat back to his seat, next to Sakura.

"You were great, Aki-kun." Sakura told the young samurai who blushed in response as he smiled. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. And also thank you for your help in healing my wounds. I don't think I would be here if it weren't for you." Akiyoshi was indeed truly grateful and he showed it by placing a hand on top of Sakura's. Sakura blushed but tried to act casually instead. "It's my job, Aki-kun, don't worry about it." Sakura smiled. "Iie... I really insist. I really want to thank your for saving my life. I owe you more than I can give."

"She said don't worry about it so cut it out." All of a sudden, Sasuke interrupted the conversation. Both Sakura and Akiyoshi were surprised by the avenger's outburst but kept quiet nonetheless. Akiyoshi merely smiled and turned to Sasuke. "I want to thank you as well, Sasuke-kun. Thank you very much for saving me. I owe my life to you too." The young samurai said.

"Hn..." As usual, Sasuke only snorted in response. He was obviously not interested to hear any more word coming from Akiyoshi. Again, Akiyoshi turned to Sakura. "Um, Sakura-chan, do you want to, uh... I was wondering if you want to take a walk with me after the ceremony?" Akiyoshi was a bit hesitant as he spoke. Sakura looked at the young samurai with a questioning look but agreed nonetheless. "Great!" Akiyoshi was indeed glad.

After the ceremony, Akiyoshi immediately went to Sakura and asked her for a walk. Sasuke had no other choice but to go back to Akiyoshi's house and stay there until the young kunoichi and the newly hailed daimyo return from their "walk". He didn't know why but he felt a little unsettled because of the fact that Sakura was having a walk with a male other than him and Naruto. There was a growing feeling of needing to know what Sakura and Akiyoshi were up to but he tried his best to ignore it. Their bussiness was not for him to know. He doesn't care... _right?_

On the other hand, Sakura and Akiyoshi were taking a walk in the park. They both visited stalls which sell different items. "Tell me, what do you like, Sakura-chan? Maybe, I could get it for you." Akiyoshi offered but Sakura chose not to. She was too shy to ask something from the young daimyo. "Taking me for this walk is enough gift already, Aki-kun. The park is a spectacular place to see during the night." Sakura smiled cheerfully.

After visiting most of the stalls, Sakura and Akiyoshi decided to go home since it was getting late. On the way home, they couldn't help but have a conversation. "Ne, Sakura-chan, I must say, you look beautiful in that kimono." Akiyoshi said as he walked side by side with Sakura. Upon his comment, the young kunoichi's cheeks were filled by a shade of red. "Um...ano, you also look great, Aki-kun." Sakura replied. "In fact, you already have fan girls who wanted you to be their prince charming!" She added cheerfully, remembering the girls who cheered when Akiyoshi made his speech. Akiyoshi blushed remembering the memory but only smiled.

"Um, Sakura-chan, I have something for you." He took out something from his pocket and handed it to Sakura. It was a golden comb with a peacock's tail as its decoration on its end. "Wow... It's beautiful. Thank you very much, Aki-kun." Sakura said as she looked up at the young daimyo. "I know we really haven't been with each other that long and we really don't know each other that well, but, I hope, the short period of time that we had together was enough to let you know of my strong feelings and admiration for you." Akiyoshi sincerely said as he gazed at the young kunoichi's emerald eyes.

"Aki-kun..." Sakura uttered out his name. By then, they were already in front of Akiyoshi's house. "I want you to know that I really enjoyed being with you tonight." Akiyoshi said as he bent down to kiss her on the lips but suddenly, "Ehem..." Someone coughed up from the dark corner. It turned out to be Sasuke. "Good, you're here, Sakura. I just want to remind you that we'll be leaving first thing in the morning tommorrow." Sasuke said and then turned his back on them to enter the house. Sakura and Akiyoshi looked away from each other, obviously a bit embarrassed. Akiyoshi simply smiled hopefully. "Like I told you, Sakura-chan, being a daimyo is a great responsibility. Things are unpredictable. But maybe, someday, when I no longer have this great responsibility tied to me, I could go to Konoha and be your prince. 'Till then, always keep in mind that I'm just here. I won't ask you to wait but please be assured that I will always be reserved for you."

tbc

a/n: Akiyoshi Andou is mine. I created him so therefore, he's mine! His character was inspired by a Young-Hoon, a character from the korean movie that I watched. Actually, in the movie, Young-Hoon is a taekwondo athlete and he has a really great bod! -drools- Here in my fic, Young-Hoon is Akiyoshi and he's a samurai! Btw, Young-Hoon's character was played by Lee Sang Woo, I don't really know if he's related to another korean actor named Kwon Sang Woo, but I think Kwon Sang Woo is much famous than him.

Preview of next Chapter: "Interconnected"

"I think the Akatsuki ninja that you encountered placed a curse on both of you. The Divine String Attachment Curse is not a curse that's meant to destroy. I'm afraid, it has a life-time effect to the persons to whom it was released. The scars on both your legs are the evidence that your both are in a way... attached... interconnected." The Godaime looked at both the young Chuunins in front of her but they still looked a bit confused about what she was saying to them.


	10. Chapter 10

"Interconnected"

When Sakura and Sasuke returned from the village of Ame, they were greeted warmly by the Godaime together with Shizune, Naruto, Neji and Ino. Out of pure coincidence, Naruto's team also returned on the same day. "How was the mission, Sakura-chan?" Shizune asked with a warm smile. Sakura smiled back in response as she said, "It was fine, Shizune-nee-san. We encountered a few opponents but nothing serious happened. Aki-kun was really nice too."

"Ne, Sasuke-teme! We arrived here first! That means we're better than you! Hahahahaha!" Naruto laughed loudly causing a sweatdrop to form on Ino's head. "Shut up, you dope." She said in pure disgust. "Beat that, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto challenged with a goofy smile on his face. And as the usual part goes, Sasuke does nothing in reply but say, "Dobe..."

"Sakura, why is there a gash on your leg?" Tsunade asked while eyeing the thin gash on the young kunoichi's right leg. It was barely visible but it was there and it wasn't healing. "Huh? Uh, I don't know... I tried healing it after encountering the Akatsuki ninja who was using chakra strings but it wouldn't heal..." Sakura tried to shrug it off but Tsunade insisted that it must be checked properly. She also questioned both Sakura and Sasuke while examining the young kunoichi's wound.

"Were you both attached to the ninja's strings?" Tsunade asked. Sakura and Sasuke both nodded in response. Tsunade's lips formed a thin line as she looked at both of them with a serious expression on her face. "Shizune, please assist Naruto and the others to go out. Sakura and Sasuke would have to stay." The Godaime was dead serious but both Sakura and Sasuke were clueless as to what was the reason behind such demeanor.

"Um, ano... Tsunade-shishou, might I ask, what is this all about?" Sakura asked while eyeing the Godaime who sat behind her desk. She took one book from her book case and opened it. She scanned and turned a few pages until she found what she was looking for. "I think you two might want to look at this." Tsunade pushed the book towards Sakura and Sasuke, for them to read its contents. "Divine String Attachment Curse." Sakura read aloud but was still puzzled about what it meant. She looked at Tsunade hoping to find a answer.

Tsunade looked at Sakura, then, shifted her eyes and looked at the Uchiha prodigy. "Sasuke, show me your right leg." Tsunade told the young ninja. Sasuke stood up and examined his right leg in front of the Hokage. He found a thin and barely visible scar. Identical to that of Sakura's. "I think the Akatsuki ninja that you encountered placed a curse on both of you. The Divine String Attachment Curse is not a curse that's meant to destroy. I'm afraid, it has a life-time effect to the persons to whom it was released. The scars on both your legs are the evidence that your both are in a way... attached... interconnected." The Godaime looked at both the young Chuunins in front of her but they still looked a bit confused about what she was saying to them.

"Sakura, give me your hand." She told the young kunoichi. Sakura obediently extended out her right hand as Tsunade held it carefully. Then, the Hokage took out a kunai from her pocket. She pierced the tip of Sakura's index finger. Blood seeped out of the tiny wound. At the same time, Sasuke's index finger from his right hand also began to bleed. "This is the effect of the curse. If one of you is hurt, both of you will feel the pain. If one of you is wounded, the other will also be wounded. And when one of you feels a strong emotion like deep sadness or pure happiness, the other will somehow feel it too. I still don't know the cure for this curse but I promise you both that I will do the best that I can." Tsunade said.

"I have a question." The Uchiha prodigy announed. "What is it?" Tsunade asked. "Why hasn't the curse taken effect immediately after the battle? We should have figured it out afterwards." Sasuke was indeed intelligent.

"The curse only takes effect three or four days after it has been released. You cannot detect it as to when it was given that's why you could not intercept nor stop it. For now, you two would have to bear with the curse while I sort things out and find a cure." The Godaime spoke carefully.

After three days of rest, Sakura and Sasuke were both back into training. Sasuke trained with Kakashi while Sakura had to continue trainng with Haru in using the katana. She had greatly improved with the use of the katana and can maintain a full-blown head to head combat against Haru for almost three hours. Haru was quite pleased with the result of Sakura's training. "Ne, Sakura-chan, your skills have greatly improved! Congratulations!" Haru complimented the young kunoichi.

Panting and slightly sweaty because of training, Sakura had to smile because of what her mentor had said. All her hardwork had been rewarded. She was also quite pleased with the fact that she doesn't think of Sasuke too much anymore. Her training had really kept her occupied. "Ready for another round, Haru-sensei?!" She challenged the Jounin as she held the katana up front, with its tip pointing towards her mentor.

Haru had to smile at the perseverance of his student. "Hmm... Maybe next time, Sakura-chan..." The Jounin looked at his watch and heaved a tiresome sigh. "I have to come by Tsunade's office right now. Something to do with paperwork and all those stuff. Besides, you look awfully tired. I think I'll dissmiss you eralier today." Haru patiently explained.

Sakura showed an exaggerated disappointment on her face but did not complain further. "Can I continue training alone then? Since I don't have anything to do for the rest of the day..." Sakura tried to explain and looked hopefully at the Jounin. Haru contemplated on it for a while and finally decided to say yes. Sakura was afterall, a medical ninja. He was confident that whatever injury she might acquire, she can heal it all on her own. "I'll say yes but only if you promise me that you will not overdo yourself." Haru smiled as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"I promise, Haru-sensei! Don't worry! I can handle myself!" Sakura cheerfully said. After saying their good-byes, Haru disappeared in a whirl of smoke. On the other hand, all alone in the forest, Sakura was feeling a little weird. She suddenly felt a strong emotion of self-pity. She hated how she felt. She looked pathetic. 'Pathetic.' The word echoed inside her mind like a poweful mantra. 'Weak.' The word suddenly popped up inside her mind. She hated the feeling of being weak, useless and pathetic. She didn't like it one bit. In one swift gush of the wind, Sakura's personality changed. It was as if she was altered. All she felt was hunger... Hunger for power...

Sakura lifted her katana in pure concentration. She began to think of each attack that she learned using her katana and thought of ways how to dodge or do a counter-attack to each attack. By the end of the afternoon, she was able to do a new and personalized set of counter-attacks and blocks to match against the basic attacks of Konoha's Secret Sword Technique. She began to weave patterns of attacks of her very own sword technique.

It was already dusk, the sun was beginning to settle down and give way to the night. Sasuke was panting slowly with a Chidori on his right hand. He was doing a sparring against Kakashi, who promised to sparr with him while holding the Icha-Icha Paradise in one hand and also promised not to use any form of jutsu. Sasuke gritted his teeth in extreme concentration. Their sparring already stretched for two hours but it seemed that he could not beat the Jounin.

"Tired already? Hmm... Why don't we make the deal easier? If by any way, you make me drop the Icha-Icha Paradise book that I'm holding and use my other hand against you, then, I will teach you another special jutsu. But if you can't do that by the end of the day, then, you'll have additional physical endurance exercises for tommorrow's training. Is it a deal?" Kakashi smiled good-naturedly at the young Chuunin.

"Deal." Sasuke hastily replied. Sasuke closed his eyes in a brief moment. When he opened them again, they were crimson red. With the Sharingan and Chidori, he began a series of assaults against Kakashi. "Give it your all, Sasuke." Kakashi said. Sasuke threw series of punches, kicks and even swung the Chidori directly at Kakashi but the Jounin still managed to dodge the Uchiha prodigy's attacks.

Sasuke was in the middle of attacking Kakashi when he abruptly halted. He stood stupefied with his head bowing low on a tree branch. Kakashi became puzzled by the Uchiha's sudden change of behaviour. He stood on a branch across the young Uchiha and silently observed him. Sasuke still didn't move. The Chidori on his right hand was no more and not even a tiny strain of chakra came out of him. Kakashi began to be worried. Maybe he pushed the young Chuunin too much. "Hey. You okay?" Kakashi asked out of concern for his student.

tbc

a/n: sorry for the super late update... My laptop bagged down and I was so busy adjusting to my college life... Anyway, I have a new laptop now so maybe I can start updating regularly again! Ooohhh... Things are getting interesting... Please READ AND REVIEW!

Preview of Next Chapter: "Is it the Curse?"

Kakashi turned to look at the Uchiha prodigy and smiled. "You don't, huh? Anyway, I was surprised that you knew where Sakura's house was. I was even more surprised that you knew which window was Sakura's room." Kakashi waited for an explanation from the avenger about the conclusions to which he has arrived with, but none came. The avenger merely walked away with steady steps and never attempted to say any retort or explanation.


End file.
